The Golden age of Jewish culture in Spain, also known as the Golden Age of Arab (or Moorish) Rule in Iberia, refers to a period of history during the Muslim rule of the Iberian Peninsula (the former Roman and Visigothic Hispania) in which Jews were generally accepted in society and […]
Israel; Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday Israel would object to any withdrawal to “indefensible” borders, adding he expected Washington to allow it to keep major settlement blocs in any peace deal. In a statement after President Barack Obama’s speech outlining Middle East strategy, Netanyahu said before heading to […]
A group of Indonesian climbers on Friday took in the view from the top of the world when they summited Mount Everest. The team of four — Broery Andrew Sihombing, Janathan Ginting, Xaferius Frans and Sofyan Arief Fesa — were accompanied by a Japanese guide and two Sherpas on their […]
Vicksburg, Mississippi (CNN) — Residents eager to put behind a historic flood that submerged much of Vicksburg face a long and slow goodbye, forecasters said Friday, predicting that the river could remain out of its banks until at least mid-June. The Mississippi River is not expected to return to its […]
IN AN era of helicopter parents eager to exploit every competitive edge for their children, at least two companies have begun selling tests that claim to help match youngsters with the sports they are genetically programmed to play best. The DNA scans, the first of an expected wave of […]
With Fatah and Hamas joining hands in the occupied territories and Palestinians breaching the Syrian frontier, Israel may feel its situation is more precarious than ever. The latest window of opportunity for peace in the Middle East may be closing, and the popular choice is always to dig in. Yet […]
I remember reading the book (A Brief History of Time) when it was first published in 1988 and I found it fascinating and even enthralling. It inspired in me an awe towards the immenseness of the cosmos and the insignificance of human knowledge at the same time it awakened in […]
Magic Squares at the Textile Museum: God is also in the details. Initiation shirt from Burkina Faso, mid to late 20th century, a centrepiece of the exhibition “Magic Squares” at the Textiles Museum of Canada. The square is never square. Squares can even be hip. Squares embrace the greatest games. […]
Deep divisions over the future of Islam in Australia have emerged after calls for the adoption of sharia law in submissions to a federal parliamentary inquiry into multiculturalism. Citing existing Government support for Islamic banking and laws governing halal meat – and backing from the Archbishop of Canterbury – Muslim […]
We were stunned to read Jonathan Kay’s column describing Geert Wilders’ extreme polemics against Islam and Muslims (“Geert Wilders’ problem with Islam,” May 9). It contained unsupported hyperbole from the Dutch politician, such as “if you would strip the Koran of all the negative, hateful, anti-Semitic material, you would end […]
‘God wants him to be alive’: Family fights landmark battle over medical consent Sittng on a courtroom bench, son and daughter on either side, Parichehr Salasel listened to lawyers argue over who has the final say on her husband’s life – his doctors or his family. She and her family […]
In the past, the word family referred exclusively and solely to a married man and woman who preferably had a couple of children. Today, the word family carries with it far more connotations; a single parent and his or her child is a family; two people of the same gender […]
On Easter Monday, I was sent to Iraq to monitor the progress being made. I did not quite have in mind to report on the sophisticated improvement in terror. Assassination, in Baghdad, is the new fashion in violence. Apparently, variety is not only the spice of life. Once I was […]
By Dr. Nasim Rehmatullah and Dr. Zia H Shah Baitul Futuh Mosque, London With the political turmoil spreading from one Arab country to the next, during the last few weeks, several fears and demons have been reawakened. Could these changes herald development of a theocracy or establishment of Caliphate in some […]
Since 2001 a plethora of writers have made calls for an Islamic “Reformation“. Many hopes (and careers) are pinned on the idea, but there is no such thing coming. The Islamic reformation has already happened. The Muslim equivalent of nailing the 95 theses was the desecration of a graveyard and […]
A little noticed provision in the House Armed Services Committee’s National Defense Authorization Act would authorize the United States to use military force anywhere there are terrorism suspects, including within the U.S. itself, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. Section 1034 was added to the bill by the […]
CIREBON, INDONESIA — Before he strapped on his suicide vest, walked into a crowded police station mosque and blew himself up last month, Muhammad Syarif was typical of the scores of angry young men who pass their days at fundamentalist mosques in this coastal Javanese city. Enlarge This Image The authorities […]
“It was not expected that Obama would criticize any of the U.S. allies, but he did so when he talked about Bahrain and called for a dialogue with the opposition while calling for the release of prisoners. Obama set a new approach toward the Middle East … opening a new […]
“I want to protect this institution which I have served with honor and devotion, and especially – especially – I want to devote all my strength, all my time, and all my energy to proving my innocence,” Strauss-Kahn said, declaring “I deny with the greatest possible firmness all of the allegations […]